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Concrete Mold Making | Page 1

Creating a Brick Patterned Walkway

Concrete walkways or sidewalks are more than just a way to get wherever it is you're going—they can provide much-needed curb appeal to homes and buildings, and they are fast becoming a point of artistic expression by way of a multitude of decorative concrete options.

While plain gray concrete is still the most often surface installed, as seen on most concrete sidewalks, there are numerous decorative concrete alternatives sure to dress it up If you understand the simple basics of mold making you are only limited to your imagination as to the type of walkway designs you can create.

This article will teach you how to create a mold for the elegant basket weave brick pattern paver design. Your friends and neighbors will not believe you created it yourself. Except for the time involved, the process is simple and straightforward, too.

I decided to demonstrate the full basket weave design the width of the length of four bricks wide, bordered with running pattern of single bricks as edging. See the selections of designs in the above image for other designs that you might like better.

Figure 1

I purchased traditional style brick pavers at Home Depot today. The plan is to make molds of the bricks, then cast them in concrete to duplicate the pattern. Each mold will consists of 8 bricks. I'll make two molds. I calculated that I will need to make 52 sets in concrete, which I'll color the same color as the bricks by adding a concrete powder colorant to the mix.

Figure 2

I have cut 2 x 4s to surround both sets of bricks spacing the wood 1 1/2 inches from the edge of the brick pattern. I then screwed down the wood in such a fashion that each frames a mold. The gap is important as you will see later.

Figure 3

A closeup view of the gap that was left bordering the brick pavers on all four sides.

Figure 4

The bricks were removed for the time being so the wood could be sealed. For this I used latex gloves, a 3-inch chip brush and wood sealer, though varnish would be just as serviceable.

Figure 5

The entire mold box was painted with two coats of sealer, allowing the first coat to dry prior to adding the second coat. The bottom, inside sides and top surfaces were all sealed